Tuyere and attachment therefor



(No Model.)

J. M. HARTMAN. TUYERE AND ATTACHMENT THEREFOR.

No. 299,536. Patented June a, 1884.

W1 I I MM $21M wlTN 58853;

N. PETERS. Plmlo-Lilhogmphcr. wclslnnglnn. n. c.

' surrounding the same.

; @A FFICEQ JOHN M. HARTMAN, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TUYERE AND ATTACHMENT THEREFOR.

ESPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 299,536, dated June 3, 18 84:.

. Application filed April 10, 1883. (No mama.)

.Ib all whom it may concern.-

- Be it known that. I, J OHN M. HARTMAN, of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tuyeres and Attachments therefor.

The following is a specification of my improvements, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents a vertical section through a crucible-j acket and the tuyere-breast inserted therein, showing the tuyere and its adjacent attachments partly in section and partly in side elevation. Fig. 2 is'a front view of the tuyerebreast with a portion of the crucible-jacket Figs. 3 and 4: are views showing the details of devices for holding the tuyere-pipe, &c., in position; and Fig. 5 is a vertical central section on an enlarged scale through the eye-piece attached to the rear end of the tuyerepipe. I

It is well known that in operating blastfurnaces the volume of the blast must be varied to correspond with the condition of the furnace. Thus when the latter is very hot alarge volume of air can be used; but when the temperature is comparatively low the quantity of air must be lessened ,or otherwise the contents of the crucible or hearth are liable to be chilled. As the distance from the end of the tuyere to the center of the furnace is considerable and a strong projection or high velocity of the blast is required to penetrate it, it is obvious that the dimensions of the blast-orifice should be lessened to correspond with the diminished volume of the blast, and vice versa.

Heretofore it has been attempted to vary the area of the blastorifice by inserting in the tuyeres what have been termed nozzles or detachable pieces which reduced the internal opening of the tuyere; but for reasons, which I will explain, it has been foundimpossible to use these pieces at the true nozzle or orifice of the tuyere, and as they were inserted at a considerable distance back therefrom the blast had an opportunity to expand and lose apart of its velocity before entering the furnace, thus defeating in a very large measure the very purpose for which they were intended. The placing of these devices at a distance from the nozzle or orifice of the tuyere proper (to which location their inefficiency is due) has been necessitated partly by an erroneousprinciple of construction in the so-called nozzles themselves and partly by a defective method of mounting them in the tuyere. The effort has been to make the nozzle-piece of refractory material without reference to other desiderata, and for that purpose iron is used. Moreover, in attaching them to the tuyere it has been customary to surround them withfireclay or (what is equally disadvantageous) to leave an air-space between the outside of the nozzlepiece and the adjacent interior surface of the tuyere. Under these circumstances it is impossible for the nozzle-piece to be kept properly cool by the water-circulation within the tuyere, since the iron of the nozzle is not a sufficiently good conductor in itself to convey off the heat imparted to it from the furnace, and this defective conduction is aggravated by the packing of fire-clay or by the air surrounding the nozzle-piece, the conducting-power of these substances being very low.

The result is that with the high heats now commonly used the nozzle-pieces often melt or burn away, even when placed at a very considerable distance, from the actual orifice of the tuyere.

I have discovered that by constructing the nozzle-piece of copper, bronze, or other metal whose conducting-power is greater than that of iron, even though the metal is much less refractory than iron, and by fitting the nozzle in close contact with the tuyere, metal and metal, the heat is abstracted with such rapidity by the cooled surface of the tuyere that the piece can be placed at the extreme end thereof, and thus the proper projection of the blast can be insured whatever be its volume. This arrangement has the further advantage that if molten cinder and iron back into the tuyere in a large volume,the nozzle-piece only will be injured; whereas by the old system of construction the tuyere itself had to be thrown away when the interior was burned through this cause. Moreover, when the blast is taken off the furnace temporarily for any cause after cinder is run off, the molten iron and cinder trickling down from above the tuyeres are apt to run back into the tuyeres to a certain extent. When iron nozzles are used, the cinder and iron fuse fast to them and compel the furnace-man to remove the nozzles in or 5 on its inner surface.

55 pipe 0.

6o tuyere.

5 tuyere-pipe and pushing the iron and cinder back into the furnace.

In addition to these improvements in the nozzle, my invention has for its objects to provide for expansion of the tuyere-pipe; to secure the tuyere against blowing out by the pressure within the furnace; to facilitate the withdrawal of the tuyere and change of 11ozzle; to strengthen the adjacent jacket of the crucible; to provide a means for readily draw- I 5 ing off molten cinder or iron from the imme diate vicinity of the tuyere, and to prevent the destruction of the eye-piece.

In the drawings, q is the wall of the crucible or furnace, and p the shell or jacket thereof,

formed of iron plates cast with continuous open coils throughout, as indicated, to permit water-circulation. A large opening is formed in the jacket to admit the tuyere-breast s. As heretofore constructed, these openings weaken 5 the plate and endanger the breakage thereof from the expansion of the crucible-walls. To obviatethis, I cast the plate in which the opening occurs with a projecting rim or flange, 1, which not only strengthens it, but makes a 3 support for the tuyere-breast in case the wall below the latter should be destroyed, as sometimes occurs through irregular working of the furnace. lVhen iron tuyere-breasts are to be used, I cast upon the interior of the rim tlugs or projections u, and force the breast firmly up against them by a key, it. The annular space .1", Fig. 2, is then rammed up with clay. On removing a breast it is frequently found that the cinder and iron adhere to it and pre- 4 vent its free passage through the opening in the jacket. \Vhen this occurs, the clogging substance can be cutoff by means of a bar,

which may be inserted through the space a.

If bronze breasts are used, the lugs u can be dispensed with and the breast fitted close up against the rim t, since the cinder, &c., does not adhere to this material. The tuyere b is formed with the usual provisions for interior water-circulation, asindicated, and is tapered The detachable nozzlepiece a is tapered to conform therewith, and fits closely, metal and 1netal,within the tuyere extending from the orifice of the latter back to a point where it meets the end of the tuyere- This nozzle-piece a is made, as be fore stated, of copper, bronze, or other metal of higher conducting-power than iron, and sufficiently refractory not to be melted when in contact with the water-cooled surface of the The conducting-power of copper being taken as one hundred, that of iron would be represented by about fifty or less.

The nozzles, constructed as above described, can be placed in immediate proximity to the nose of the tuyere without danger of destruction, as it is capable of conducting away heat more rapidly than the contents of the furnace can supply it.

The advantages due to the extreme position of the nozzle have been already described. The rear end of the nozzle a is countersunk or formed with a concave face, and the adjacent end of the tuyere-pipe c is convex, (or vice versa,) thus forming a globe-joint and insuring a proper contact and easy fitting of the two. The tuyere-pipe c is divided into two sections, whose adjacent ends are provided with annular flanges g (1, between which an annular plate or washer of metal, f, is placed, the whole being then secured together by rivets passing through said flanges and washer. The pliability of the flanges g 9 permits the 1011- gitudinal expansion and contraction of the tuyere-pipe c. \Vithin the tuyere-pi'pe is a con tinuous pipe,h,suspended in position by means of a packing of asbestus or similar material, which fills the intermediate space. This inner pipe, h, forms a continuous lining for the sectional tuyere-pipe c, preventing the leakage at the flexible joint before described, and, as the lining is not rigidly attached,it does not affect the capacity of the tuyere-pipe to expand and contract longitudinally. The rear end of the pipe 0 is hinged at n to a collar-,m, secured to the elbow a of the pipe d,which leads downward from the usual distributing-pipe surrounding the furnace. I prefer to construct this elbow of wrought'iromto lessen the danger of cracking, and the collar or flange m,I make of steel. This collar has a depending lug, 7 with an opening at one side to admit the tie-rod h, having at the other end an eye which fits over a lug, 5, upon the jacketp. By means of the screw-nut upon the tie-rod h the collar m and elbow to can be clamped up snugly against the end of the tuyere-pipc c, and, as all strain produced by the pressure within the furnace is transferred by the tie-rod to the jacket, the danger of blowing out the tuyere or breast is avoided.

The downwardly-depending pipe (1 is sccured in position as follows: Its upper portion terminates in a flange or collar having two downward projections or lugs, 0, diametrically opposite to each other. Beneath this collar a loose annular bridle, 2', (shown in plan view in Fig. 3,) surrounds the pipe (1. This bridle is hinged, by means of a link, I, to the branch of distributing-pipe or other overhanging support, and is provided on the side opposite to the hinge with a swinging bolt, 7. and nut by means of which it can be sccured in a horizontal position. hen so secured, the lugs 0 rest upon the bridle, which thus firmly supports the pipe (1, while permitting it to swivel and properly adjust itself to the varying positions required.

W'hen it is desired to withdraw the tuyercpipe for any purpose, it is not necessary to completely remove either the nut upon the tie-rod h or upon the bridle i, as upon merely loosening them the rod h and bolt 7. can be lifted side- IUO IIO

wise out of the openings. The pipes'c and d can then be swung back, leaving the breast 8 clear, and, as all the pieces are hinged together, they do not, when removed, fall apart. This system of construction greatly facilitates the rapid removal and replacement of nozzles, &c.

In line with the axis of the tuyere-pipe c, and at the rear end of the elbow a, I place the eye-piece through which the interior of the tuyere may be inspected. Heretofore the use of glass eye-pieces has not been found practical, as when they are screwed up with the necessary tightness they crack from the heat to which they are exposed. Isinglass has been substituted, but with unsatisfactory results, as it soon becomes opaque.

To obviate the difficulty attending the use of glass, I provide a screw-cap, k, fitting the orifice in the elbow a. WVithin this cap I place the glass Z, preferably of violet tint, and on each side thereof a washer, Z, of asbestus, which, when the cap is screwed on, presses firmly against the glass, butpermits expansion thereof.

In the wall of the furnace immediately below the tuyere I form a tap-hole, c, for the following purpose: It is well known that when the furnace begins to chill the spaces between the tuyeres are the first to be affected, as the combustion there is less active, while at and above the orifices of the tuyeres the blast maintains a more vigorous heat-sufficient to liquefy the cinder and iron at these points. This leads frequently to the formation of pockets opening upward near the tuyeres, but having walls of the chilled material around. The melted cinder and iron from above collect inthese pockets and back up into the tuyere, destroying both it and the tuyere pipe and necessitating the stoppage of the furnace until new ones can beinserted.

Assoon as the formation of a pocket is discovered or suspected it may be tapped and the contents drawn off through the hole 0 without interrupting the running of the furnace.

To prevent the destruction of the adjacent wall and jacket by the drawing off of molten cinder, 810., through the hole 0, I provide a hollow plug or bushing, e, of fireproof material, which fits closely within the hole and protects the sides against injury. The opening in this plug I close by means of some soft friable but refractorysubstance, such as kaolin, 81c. which can be easily picked out when it is desired to use the opemng.

I am aware that it is not new to taper the interior of a tuyere, and thattapering detachable pieces have been fitted into the butt or rear end of tuyeres. I do not desire to claim this method of fitting, broadly, but only refer to it as an element of construction which is a useful adjunct toward the general purpose of my improved nozzle-piece.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim herein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination, with the tuyere, of a detachable nozzle-piece made of metal having higher conducting-power than iron, and fitting the interior of the tuyere, metal and metal, in immediate proximity to the tuyere-nose, substantially in the manner and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, with the tuyere and the hinged tuyere-pipe c, of the detachable nozzle-pieee a, fitting closely within the tuyere in immediate proximity to the nose thereof, and having its rear end countersunk to receive the convex end of said tuyere-pipe, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the tuyere-pipe 0, formed in two sections, of the annular flanges g g, and washer f, forming a flexible joint between said sections, and the freely-suspended inner pipe, h, constituting a continuous lining for said sectional tuyere-pipe, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

.4. The combination of the downwardly-depen ding pipe d,having the tuyere-pipe hinged to its lower end, and lugs 0 at its upper end, with the hinged swivel-bridle c, upon which said projections rest, and suitable attaching devices for securing said bridle, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the elbow a, having a flange, m, the tuyere'pipe c, hinged to said flange, the tie-rod h, and lug 2, whereby said pipe and elbow are secured together and stayed againstthe pressure within the furnace, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with the flange m and tie-rod, of the lug 1 opening at the side, substantially as specified, and for the purposes set forth.

IOO

7. The combination,with the crucible-jacket and the tuyere-breast, of the flange it, formed 7 upon said jacket, and adapted to receive and sustain said breast, substantially as specified.

8. As an improvement in eye-pieces for tuyeres, the combination, with the glass thereof, of washers of fire-proof, non-conducting, pliable material arranged upon each side of said glass, substantially in the manner set forth.

JOHN M. HARTMAN.

lVitnesses:

J. \V. DOUGLASS, WILLIAM W. FARR, Jr. 

